Courtyard House: The Frog Boy Brings Back a Genetic Potion at the Start

"But... how do we explain the old lady's behavior during the day?"

He Yushui seemed to have been waiting for this question, and waved her hand lightly.

"Isn't that simple? Dad, you know perfectly well that there are plenty of people in the neighborhood who want to curry favor with Hao Jianguo and build a relationship with him."

"Isn't Xu Damao one of his cronies?"

As she spoke, she clenched her fist and waved it twice in the air, as if an enemy were standing in front of her.

"If you ask me, it must be these people who are pulling strings behind the scenes, deliberately trying to scare the old lady."

"These people are truly insidious."

If I catch them doing anything wrong—humph, if anything happens to the old lady, I won't let them off easily.

Sha Zhu immediately chimed in, clearly having the same thought as his sister.

He Daqing nodded slowly, finally convinced.

"These people are really ruthless... It seems they're determined to protect Hao Jianguo."

We are probably no match for them.

In my opinion, let's just let this go and avoid further confrontation.

He Daqing verbally offered advice, but deep down he never wanted his children to make enemies with the people in the compound.

But Sha Zhu wouldn't listen to any advice.

"What are you afraid of?"

He immediately raised his hand, his face full of disdain, "Which of these people in the courtyard can't I handle? They dare to play tricks on me? They've gone too far."

Ever since he ousted Hao Jianguo from the courtyard, Sha Zhu seems to have become even more arrogant and speaks with increasing bravado.

He Daqing was still very worried and pressed for details, asking, "So what exactly do you plan to do?"

"What should we do?"

Sha Zhu gave a cold laugh. "Simple."

"Are they pulling this stunt just to scare us into returning the house to Hao Jianguo? Do they really think I'm stupid enough to be easily frightened?"

"Isn't it supposed to be haunted? Fine, I'll move in myself and see for myself if there really are ghosts."

Even if it really exists—”

He imitated He Yushui's earlier gesture, clenching his fist and shaking it, "I'll also call it 'No Return'."

"Dad, just wait and see. I guarantee those who are pulling the strings behind the scenes will be exposed."

Seeing Sha Zhu's confident demeanor, He Daqing opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing more.

He Daqing felt uneasy, but knowing his son's stubbornness, he knew it would be pointless to try to persuade him.

He sighed inwardly, hoping he wouldn't cause any major disaster.

Unbeknownst to Sha Zhu, Hao Jianguo was hiding in the shadows of the courtyard wall, quietly watching them.

With his abilities, it would be a piece of cake for him to remain undetected.

He heard every word of that conversation.

"Want to move in? Sure."

Hao Jianguo smirked, "Since you've got the guts, I'll give you a backup gift. Let's see how much better you are than that deaf old woman."

The thought flashed through his mind, and the figure had already quietly disappeared into the shadows.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the courtyard—Shazhu was going to stay at Hao Jianguo's house tonight.

This was obviously something he deliberately spread.

He wanted to send a message to the people behind the scenes, luring them to act again at night so that he could catch those charlatans red-handed.

Not only will they have to pay compensation, but they also need to let the whole hospital know that following Hao Jianguo will never end well.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, and he couldn't help but rub his hands together.

"Ghosts? I don't believe in that stuff at all! I'll sleep in there tonight, and if there really are any, I'll catch a few tomorrow to show everyone!"

When Sha Zhu shouted these words at the top of his lungs, everyone in the courtyard was stunned.

No one expected that he would dare to barge in after the deaf old woman had just been in an accident.

"Zhu Zi, don't be impulsive! It's better to believe in some things than not. Have you forgotten how you looked when you were possessed?"

Someone couldn't help but offer advice.

"Yes, if we really anger those things, we'll all suffer!"

A cacophony of voices rose from all around, trying to dissuade them, but everyone could tell they were afraid of being implicated.

Sha Zhu scoffed, "Don't give me that crap, I don't believe in this nonsense!"

After saying that, he turned around and went to prepare things.

Liu Haizhong and the others watched his retreating figure with deep worry, feeling as if the sky was about to burst open.

"It's over, it's over, I'm afraid we can't live in this courtyard anymore."

Aunt Er kept rambling on and on.

Aunt San was also very upset: "If they keep making such a fuss, what if that thing comes out of the house and causes trouble for us?"

Worry spread like ink dripping into water, rippling across everyone's face.

When these words reached Shazhu's ears, he only found them laughable.

In his view, this was just those people putting on an act to scare him away.

He became even more excited—the people lurking in the shadows, having heard this, would definitely make their move tonight.

"Come on, I'll catch you red-handed."

He sneered inwardly.

This time he was well prepared: he specially asked someone to get blood, and he also prepared a pig-slaughtering knife, which he placed in Hao Jianguo's room.

It is said that these two items have strong evil energy and can ward off evil spirits and protect the home.

Sha Zhu had already planned it out in his mind—as long as the other side dared to come, he would definitely make them reveal their true colors.

Even if we take a step back and assume there's something unclean causing trouble in this house, like the lingering spirit of Hao Jianguo's deceased father, Old Hao, this time he'll make sure Old Hao can't even remain a ghost.

Right now, Sha Zhu's plan seems quite perfect.

"How about... I go in with you this time?"

He Daqing hesitated for a moment, but still spoke.

After all, this was the only heir of the He family, and He Daqing couldn't let go of his worries, fearing that Sha Zhu might encounter some trouble on his own.

If the two of them go in together, they can look out for each other if anything happens.

Sha Zhu, of course, did not refuse and immediately nodded: "Okay, Dad, no need to be nervous. This is our own home. I want to see who dares to cause trouble here."

……

The night grew deeper.

This father and son are quite a formidable pair.

The two were sitting next to a square table, drinking liquor and chewing on stewed dog meat, chatting intermittently about things that had happened at home and outside over the years.

He Daqing knew in his heart that he had missed the years when Sha Zhu grew up, and he always thought that he could make up for that blank time as much as possible.

As he talked, Sha Zhu couldn't control himself and started to boast wildly.

His words made him sound like someone no one in the courtyard dared to mess with.

"Father, you can rest assured. In this courtyard, whatever I say goes, and no one dares to utter a single word against it."

Sha Zhu patted his round belly with a smile, looking very pleased with himself.

"Didn't Hao Jianguo used to be quite arrogant? What happened? I still kicked him out."

So don't worry, these people in the courtyard can't cause any trouble.

Seeing his son's exaggerated boasting, He Daqing couldn't help but grin.

In their excitement, the two drank too much and fell asleep on the table, completely out of their minds.

Time slipped by, bit by bit.

The father and son lay on the table, snoring incessantly.

I don't know how long I slept, but suddenly a sharp, ghostly howl erupted in the room.

The voice was sharp and chilling, startling the two of them so much that they trembled and woke up from their dream.

The lingering effects of the alcohol dissipated completely in that instant.

"W-What happened?"

Sha Zhu and He Daqing exchanged a surprised and uncertain glance.

The ghostly cries seemed to come from different directions, sometimes near, sometimes far, and were so faint that it was impossible to tell which direction they were coming from.

"Who's playing tricks on me?! Get out here right now, or I'll chop you up!"

Sha Zhu was impulsive, and his first reaction was that someone had sneaked in. He grabbed the butcher knife next to him and started swinging it around, cursing and looking around the room.

Strangely, the father and son searched almost every corner of the house but couldn't find a trace of it.

"How come no one's here? Could we have guessed wrong before... It wasn't someone from the courtyard causing trouble, it really is... Old Hao's spirit has returned?"

He Daqing frowned and said in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu let out a cold snort.

"Dad, what's there to be afraid of? Look, I'm still bleeding, and with this butcher knife, I don't care if it's Hao Jianguo's father or grandfather, I'll still make them fly to the ground."

Sha Zhu spoke with great confidence.

Upon hearing this, He Daqing also became more enthusiastic.

Both father and son were impulsive. After drinking a few more mouthfuls of alcohol, emboldened by the alcohol, they started shouting and cursing in the house.

"Old Hao, you're still not at peace even after you're dead, are you? You insist on coming back to cause trouble? Do you think I, He Daqing, am afraid of you?"

"You know what happened back then. I gave you the house, but I never said I would leave it to your son."

"Since you've already left, what's wrong with me taking the house back?"

He Daqing became more and more agitated as he shouted, his demeanor bordering on madness.

"Old Hao, you're already dead, what are you doing here causing trouble? A ghost should act like a ghost! I disliked you back then, and yes, you saved me, but what happened afterward? Everyone treats you like a hero, and me, He Daqing, like a coward!"

"I'm not afraid of you, you hear me? Even if you turned into a ghost and stood in front of me right now, I still wouldn't be intimidated!"

As the conversation flowed more freely, He Daqing grew increasingly emboldened, his curses growing louder and louder, as if he truly intended to cleave Old Hao's ghost in two with just a few words.

Alcohol emboldened him, and he bared his neck and roared into the air, "This place belongs to me! I can do whatever I want! You want again? I'll make you die again!"

"What are you hiding for! Show yourself if you dare!"

He was cursing enthusiastically when a sudden gust of cold wind blew in.

In an instant, the house in front of Sha Zhu and He Daqing disappeared.

Instead, there was an endless expanse of wild graveyards.

A chilling wind swirled and howled among the grave mounds, while clusters of shimmering green flames rose from behind the crooked tombstones, flickering on and off.

Sha Zhu and He Daqing felt their blood run cold, and their hair stood on end.

"Splash... splash..."

The sound of loosening earth and rocks echoed densely.

Immediately afterwards, hands covered in rotting flesh and exposing white bones burst forth from the mounds of earth!

In just a few moments, stiff bodies crawled out of the ground and stood upright in the wind.

Meanwhile, the flickering green flames twisted and transformed into faces with blue faces and fangs, filled with resentment and malice.

This place instantly became a ghost cave and a demonic realm.

"ah--!!"

Two distorted screams ripped through the deathly silence.

Sha Zhu and He Daqing's legs went weak and they collapsed to the ground.

Two wet, dark stains quickly appeared under their trousers—the father and son, who had been so arrogant just moments before, had been so frightened that they lost control of their bladders.

They're arrogant, but only towards living people; if you actually run into these kinds of people, your knees will buckle faster than anyone else's.

The two trembled like fallen leaves in the autumn wind, scrambling to their knees and straightening up, no longer daring to entertain even the slightest thought of escaping.

Sha Zhu was even more decisive, "thump thump thump."

He kowtowed repeatedly to the ground, along with his father He Daqing, begging for mercy from the shadowy, terrifying figures all around them.

"Ghost Lord... Zombie Ancestor... I was wrong, I, He Daqing, am a beast, worse than a pig or a dog! Please, have mercy and spare my dog's life!"

He Daqing cried and wailed while banging his forehead against the cold ground.

"It's my fault! I, Shazhu, am an idiot! Forgive me! Forgive me!"

While begging for mercy, Sha Zhu didn't stop slapping himself repeatedly with both hands.

His already large head swelled up even more quickly, and his face was covered with bright red finger marks.

……

The next day, just as dawn broke, the people in the courtyard gradually opened their doors, preparing to begin their day's work.

But the scene in front of Hao Jianguo's house made everyone gasp and freeze in place.

Sha Zhu and He Daqing were kneeling there, completely still.

Their clothes were torn to shreds, their hair was a tangled mess, and their skin was covered with streaks of blood, as if they had been scratched by something sharp.

Sha Zhu's face was especially frightening, swollen and shiny, looking exactly like a steamed bun, with clear overlapping handprints imprinted on it.

Their eyes were sunken, their cheeks were hollow, and they looked as if all their energy had been drained overnight, leaving them emaciated.

Just looking at it was enough to make the early risers in the courtyard gasp in fear.

They stared wide-eyed, incredulous, as if they had encountered an evil spirit in broad daylight.

"God... what kind of terrible sins have we committed?"

The old woman's voice was trembling so badly that she couldn't move her feet and even subconsciously wanted to shrink back into the house.

Even Yan Jiecheng, a grown man, turned pale with fright at the scene.

Hearing Aunt San's surprised question, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he said dryly, "What else could it be... These two are courting death. Didn't they yell so loudly yesterday that the earth shook? I think they've run into some evil spirit from the underworld and got punished. They're kneeling here apologizing!"